From 4 to 7 April 2016, 24 researchers from 8 countries and from a variety of academic disciplines gathered in Snekkersten, Denmark, to reach evidence-based consensus about physical activity in children and youth, that is, individuals between 6 and 18 years. Physical activity is an overarching term that consists of many structured and unstructured forms within school and out-of-school-time contexts, including organised sport, physical education, outdoor recreation, motor skill development programmes, recess, and active transportation such as biking and walking. This consensus statement presents the accord on the effects of physical activity on children's and youth's fitness, health, cognitive functioning, engagement, motivation, psychological well-being and social inclusion, as well as presenting educational and physical activity implementation strategies. The consensus was obtained through an iterative process that began with presentation of the state-of-the art in each domain followed by plenary and group discussions. Ultimately, Consensus Conference participants reached agreement on the 21-item consensus statement.

The report describes school experiences and explanations of why the pupils did not succeeded to gain access to national secondary education, out of pupils´perspective.

Denna rapport har utarbetats på uppdrag av Malmö stadskontor. Forskningsöversikten gör inte anspråk på att vara heltäckande. Uppdraget har varit att söka forskningsstöd för olika former av huvudmannaskap för socialarbetare med placering i skolan. Ytterligare fokus har varit att närmare undersöka forskningsstöd för Socialt nätverksarbete i skolan, Elevcoach i skolan och Familjeklass. I uppdraget ingick även att översiktligt söka forskningsstöd för vad som beskrivs som goda metoder, internationellt och nationellt, för socialt arbete i skolan. Studien har genomförts av fil dr Margareta Cederberg, fil dr Ingegerd Ericsson och fil dr Nanny Hartsmar, Malmö högskola och fil dr Lars B. Ohlsson, Lunds universitet. I rapporten svarar forskarna självständigt för innehåll och slutsatser. Varje kapitel avslutas med en sammanfattning. I slutet av rapporten finns en avslutande kommentar där även evidensproblematiken lyfts fram. Rapporten vänder sig till tjänstemän, personal inom socialtjänst och skola, forskare, forskarstuderande, samt till studerande vid socionom- och lärarutbildningar. Det är vår förhoppning att rapporten kan stimulera till fortsatt forskning och diskussioner om socialt arbete i skolan och om samverkan skola och socialtjänst. Uppdraget har finansierats av Malmö stad och genomförts under hösten 2010.

Rapport från Nordisk idrottslärarkongress, 4-9 augusti, 2009, Grebbestads folkhögskola

The Copenhagen Consensus Conference 2016 – Children, Youth, and Physical Activity in Schools and during Leisure Time A desire to improve children’s and youth’s health, well-being and social inclusion motivated Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports at the University of Copenhagen to gather 24 international researchers from a variety of academic disciplines at a consensus conference in Denmark on 4-7 April 2016. A limited number of listeners from Danish sport organisations and the Ministry for Children, Education and Gender Equality also participated. A documented link between physical activity and learning regardless of age was established in 2011 at the consensus conference ”Physical Activity and Learning” which was arranged by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education in Denmark. The recommendations were utilised by politicians in Denmark to create a reform stating that every child in the Danish public school should have a minimum of 45 minutes of compulsory physical activity during each school day. The aim of the Copenhagen Consensus Conference in 2016 was to reach an evidence-based consensus within four themes: •Theme 1: Physical activity in children and youth: Fitness and health. •Theme 2: Physical activity in children and youth: Cognitive functioning. •Theme 3: Physical activity in children and youth: Engagement, motivation and psychological well-being. •Theme 4: Physical activity in children and youth: Social inclusion and physical activity implementation strategies. Sixteen scientific presentations summarized the international research within these fields and through a thorough and iterative process, the researchers agreed upon a common statement which is presented in this publication together with a number of recommendations to how various stakeholders and initiatives can contribute to improve children’s and youth’s health, well-being and scholastic performance in schools and sport settings. We hope the recommendations can be of use and contribute to strengthen the implementation of physical activity in schools and sport settings. The Consensus Statement from the Copenhagen Consensus Conference 2016 is published in British Journal of Sports Medicine: “Bangsbo J, Krustrup P, Duda J, et al. Br J Sports Med, Published Online First, doi:10.1136/bjsports-2016-096325”.

This is the fifth edition of this textbook about human performance and motor learning, published with the same title since 1982. In this new edition there are several sidebars with up to date information on key researchers, historical papers or specific concepts in motor learning. Highlight boxes present research issues and historical connections relevant to the chapters’ topics. The 581 pages include an appendix with logarithms, a glossary, author presentations, and an author index as well as a subject index.

The aim of this nine-year prospective, controlled, population-based exercise intervention study was to investigate long-term effects on motor skills and school performance of increased Physical Education. All pupils born 1990-92 from one school were included in a longitudinal study during nine years. An intervention group (n=129) achieved daily PE (5x45 minutes/week) and if needed one extra lesson of adapted motor training. The control group (n=91) had PE two lessons/week. Motor skills were evaluated by the MUGI observation checklist and school achievements by marks in Swedish, English, Mathematics, PE and proportion of pupils who qualified for upper secondary school. Findings: In school year 9 there were no motor skills deficits in 93% of pupils in the intervention group compared to 53% in the control group (p<0.001), 96% of the pupils in the intervention group compared to 89% in the control group (p<0.05) qualified for upper secondary school. The sum of evaluated marks was higher among boys in the intervention group than in the control group (p<0.05). Interpretation: Daily PEH and adapted motor skills training during the compulsory school years is a feasible way to improve not only motor skills but also school performance and the proportion of pupils who qualify for upper secondary school.

Background: Studies have shown that some children do not participate in sport or exercise because they did not establish early coordination and basic motor skills while at school. Basic motor skills form significant parts of the goals for students to achieve in the Swedish school subject Physical Education and Health (PEH). Aims: The aim was to study effects of an extension of physical activity and motor training, during a period of nine years, on motor skills and marks in the school subject PEH. Furthermore, a motor training program called Motor Development as Ground for Learning [Motorisk Utveckling som Grund för Inlärning] (MUGI) was tested and evaluated. Method: The study is longitudinal and two groups of students were followed during nine school years. At the start of the project the students were seven years old, and 15 years old at the follow-up. An intervention group (n = 161) had one scheduled lesson of physical activity and motor training every school day. A control group (n = 102) had the school's usual two PEH lessons per week. Motor skills observations were carried out in the school years 1, 2, 3, and 9 according to the MUGI checklists. Extra motor skill training, according to the MUGI model, was given to students in the intervention group who had motor skills deficits. The method was hypothetic-deductive and two hypotheses were tested: (1) Students' motor skills will improve with extended PEH and extra motor training according to the MUGI model, and (2) boys' and girls' marks in PEH will improve with extended PEH and extra motor training in school. Findings: The results confirmed the hypothesis that students' motor skills improve with extended physical activity and motor training. After only one year the students in the intervention group had significantly better motor skills (balance and coordination) than students in the control group. These differences remained and were also found at follow-up school years 3 and 9. Differences in motor skills between boys and girls decreased with extended physical activity and extra motor training in school. Significant correlations were found between motor skills school year 2, 3, and 9 and marks in PEH school year 9. The second hypothesis was confirmed by significantly higher marks in the school subject PEH school year 9 in the intervention than in the control group. Although there were no significant differences in motor skills between boys and girls in school year 9, girls had significantly lower marks in PEH than boys. Conclusions: The school has good potential for stimulating students' development of motor skills, but two lessons of PEH per week are not enough. Differences in motor skills between boys and girls may decrease with extended physical activity and extra motor training in school. The MUGI program can be useful as a pedagogic model for observing and improving motor skills in school.

The aim of this review was to present some of the current knowledge regarding effects of physical activity and motor skills practice on cognitive function and scholastic performance in children and youth. Current recommendations for physical activity in children focus on the quantitative aspects of physical activity and selected health-related components of physical fitness. The importance of motor skill acquisition early in life is often overlooked, which may limit qualitative aspects of interventions, such as motor skill development, socialization and enjoyment of exercise (Myer, Faigenbaum, Edwards, Clark, Best and Sallis, 2015). Searching for reviews and meta-analyses was done in ERIC via Ebsco, Google Scholar, MEDLINE, PUBMED, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus, Summons, and Research Gate. The main findings show that cognition is grounded in perceptual-motor experiences within social and cultural contexts. Executive functions (inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) are sometimes more predictive of academic achievements than even IQ or socioeconomic status (Diamond and Ling, 2016). Perceptual-motor behaviors can, according to Lobo, Harbourne, and Dusing (2013) facilitate future development and readiness to learn in school. Larger gains in aerobic fitness can however be predictive of lesser improvements in cognitive performance (Etnier, Nowell, Landers and Sibley, 2006). Conclusions and potential recommendations for children and youth are discussed regarding motor skills and learning/cognitive function, including: Motor skill screening provides a valuable tool for identifying children in need of adapted support in motor skill development. Motor skill observations are recommended at school start to increase the predictability of later achievement. Specific ‘adapted’ interventions should be offered to children with motor skill deficits in order to benefit motor development and motivation for participation in physical activities. The MUGI model could be used for motor skills screening as well as motor skills training.

Konsensuskonferensens slutsatser om fysisk aktivitet för barn uppmärksammas världen över i flera ansedda tidningar och magasin. Ingegerd Ericsson var en av forskarna som deltog i konferensen som hon sammanfattat för Idrott & Hälsa. I faktarutan finns även hänvisningar till länkar för den som vill läsa mer.

Recension av: Gisela Nyberg, Physical Activity in 6–10 Year OldChildren: Variations over time,associations with metabolic riskfactors and role in obesityprevention, 127 sidor, hft., ill. Solna: Karolinska Institutet 2009. ISBN 978-91-7409-360-5.

Sammanfattning av artikel i Research and Investigations in Sports Medicine (RISM), doi.org/10.31031/RISM.2020.06.000644.

Skolan är en arena där de allra flesta barn och ungdomar kan nås, och ökad fysisk aktivitet (FA) i skolan har visat sig kunna förbättra elevers koncentration och självkontroll mer än någon annan metod. Syftet med denna artikel var att presentera och diskutera interventionseffekter av FA som genomförs i klassrum jämfört med motorisk träning och idrottsundervisning.

Resultaten från studier med extrainsatt FA i skolan är inte entydiga, men idrottsundervisning som inkluderar motorisk träning verkar vara mest lovande. Flera forskningsstudier visar att motoriska färdigheter bättre än aerob kondition/syreupptagningsförmåga kan förutsäga skolprestationer. Aerob träning med hög fysisk ansträngning har inte visat sig vara en framgångsrik metod för att förbättra kognitiv funktion hos barn, medan kognitivt engagemang i FA på måttlig nivå verkar vara den mest lovande typen av träning. Pulsträning i klassrum verkar inte förbättra någon exekutiv funktion och klassrumsbaserad FA har inte haft särskilt positiv inverkan på skolprestationer. Även om det finns visst belägg för att ett enda pass med måttlig FA kan förbättra kognitiv prestanda bland barn, kan alltför intensiva nivåer av FA förta eventuell positiv effekt. I många studier saknas en teoretisk grund som förklarar varför pulspass i klassrum skulle kunna förbättra skolprestationer. Vad eleverna förväntas lära sig av FA i klassrummet behöver klargöras och förtydligas.

En utökning av skolämnet idrott & hälsa och motorikträning kan vara en möjlig väg för att förbättra såväl motorik som skolprestationer hos barn och ungdomar, särskilt när undervisningen planeras och genomförs av utbildade idrottslärare. Daglig idrottsundervisning i kombination med anpassat motorikstöd kan förbättra inte bara motorik utan även skolprestationer samt andelen elever som når behörighet att söka till gymnasieskolan. Dessutom skulle interventionen kunna ge ekonomiska vinster för samhället i form av minskade sjukvårdskostnader och produktivitetsvinster visar hälsoekonomiska analyser. Välutbildade idrottslärare behövs som kan omsätta forskningsresultat i praktiken, dvs utforma och genomföra motorikobservationer, ge relevant motorikstöd samt planera idrottsundervisning för att optimera effekter på elevers motorik, kognition och skolprestationer.

Slutsats: Det finns begränsade och ofullständiga belägg för effekterna av olika FA-program i skolan på kognitiv funktion och skolprestationer. Måttliga nivåer av FA med kognitiva utmaningar är effektivare än aerob träning. Det finns ett starkt samband mellan motorisk kompetens och skolprestationer. Idrottsundervisning som inkluderar motorisk träning verkar vara mer lovande än FA i klassrummet. Resultat från strukturerad motorikobservation vid skolstarten är förknippad med senare skolprestationer och kan användas som en indikator på barns framtida skolprestanda. Daglig idrottsundervisning och anpassad motorikträning kan positivt påverka motorik, betyg samt andel elever som når behörighet för högre utbildning.

Nyckelord: Grundläggande motoriska färdigheter (FMS); Checklista för MUGI-observation; Idrott och hälsa; Bunkeflo-projektet; Exekutiva funktioner; Kognition; Lärarutbildning

Artikeln i sin helhet har publicerats i RISM, länk finns på www.mugi.se:

Ericsson, I. (2020). Physical Activity Interventions in School and their Impact on Scholastic Performance. Research & Investigations in Sports Medicine, 6(4), 543-550.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka balans- och koordinationsförmåga hos några gymnasiesärskoleelever som deltar i projektet “Unga handigolfare – ett utvecklingsprojekt för barn och unga med funktionsnedsättning”.

What need of education is there among sports leaders in school? Report from projects in the so called “Handslaget”. The Swedish Government has put by one billion SEK to get children and young people more physical active. One of the purposes is to get Sports Clubs to cooperate with schools and to develop methods that can motivate all pupils to be physical active. The aim of the study was to evaluate what need of education there might be among sports leaders in school. Fifteen sports leaders were interviewed, observations of ten different sport activities were made, and applications from the sports clubs were analysed. The result showed that education for leaders of physical activities in school could be recommended in the following areas: 1. Motor skills development, 2. To observe and stimulate children’s motor development in different levels, 3. Motivation and motivation processes, 4. Group processes and conflict solving, 5. How to prevent and treat injuries, 6. Methods in gymnastics, 7. Safety in practicing gymnastics, 8. Increased number of games and warm up exercises for different age groups, 9. Calm down and relaxing exercises.